Virgil van Dijk questions Liverpool’s hunger after Everton defeat: ‘We have to look in the mirror’

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk questioned his side’s hunger to win the Premier League and said “everyone has to look in the mirror” a 2-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park all but ended their title hopes under Jurgen Klopp.

Everton’s physical approach overwhelmed Liverpool as goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned the hosts a famous win in the Merseyside derby.

Liverpool are just three points behind leaders Arsenal with four games to go, but Manchester City have two games in hand on Klopp’s side and would go five points above them if they win both.

Van Dijk said Liverpool will have “no chance” of winning the Premier League if they repeat their performance at Goodison Park over their final four games of the season, starting with a trip to West Ham on Saturday.

"Very disappointed in so many ways,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “I think everyone has to look in the mirror, look at their own performance and if they really gave everything. Do they really want to win the league?

"We are fighting, there are games after tonight, but play like we did overall in the game like today... not winning challenges and giving the ref an opportunity to give a free-kick like he did many times, then you have no chance to win a title.

"It’s a tough one and we need to do much better against a side that’s [fighting] relegation. We had clear-cut chances in the first half that we should have scored but we weren’t good enough and it starts with the fight. We can’t let the season go out like this."

Liverpool were eight games away from the title but have faltered in recent weeks, following a 4-3 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

“I wish I had a proper answer,” Van Dijk said when asked what had stopped working. “We are in this situation because we have been very consistent throughout the whole season, even with all injuries that we had.

“I think everyone at the start of the season would never have been thinking that we would be competing for the title but I don’t care what everyone says at the start.

“We are here now and we have to do much better, and it starts with the fight, it starts with the will to win you challenges and be confident in scoring goals and that’s what we have been lacking a little bit.”